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Study finds area of the North Atlantic Ocean where plastic debris accumulates.

Scientists have discovered an area of the North Atlantic Ocean where plastic debris accumulates. The region is said to compare with the well-documented "great Pacific garbage patch". Kara Lavender Law of the Sea Education Association told the BBC that the issue of plastics had been "largely ignored" in the Atlantic. She announced the findings of a two-decade-long study at the......read more

On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Actress Sigourney Weaver testified before the Senate, warning that without climate legislation limiting CO2 emissions, the impacts on our oceans will be monumental. “The oceans are 30 percent more acidic than they were during pre-industrial times and if we continue burning fossil fuels as we are now, we will double the ocean’s acidity by the end of the......read more

Everyone loves the beach. That's why protecting beaches is such an important pursuit for coastal communities. The most common method of preserving beach sand is the seawall, which slows down longshore currents that shift sand away from the shore. But there is an emerging technique that has many advantages over the traditional seawall. Artificial reefs not only protect the beach from eroding......read more

Sea lions and penguins at the zoo begin a diet of Marine Stewardship Council-approved fish.

The fish-eating denizens of Edinburgh Zoo are joining the sustainable food movement. Miranda and Sofus, the zoo's two sea lions, have been switched onto a diet of Marine Stewardship Council-approved Scottish herring. The Patagonian sea lions are said to be loving the new sustainable feed. Next up are the zoo's 200 penguins, who will be soon guzzling MSC-certified South African hake......read more

It's shocking to learn to that more than 27 million tons of dead unmarketable fish are caught and thrown back into the sea each and every year. The SafetyNet is a technological advancement designed to drastically reduce unwanted "by-catch" and save the lives of juvenile and endangered fish that get tangled in traditional trawling nets.
The SafetyNet concept, envisioned by Dan Watson,......read more

Meticulously crafted animation warns of the dangers of the fish industry

Created on behalf of Portland, Oregon's Bamboo Sushi, "The Story of Sushi" delves deep into the worrisome state of the sushi industry. In four short minutes, the clip provides a thorough primer on issues of sustainability and overfishing. It's pretty depressing, to be honest, but that's the reality of our obsession with raw fish. What's really impressive about it is the handcrafted......read more

Overfishing isn't the only reason to be concerned about the commercial seafood industry. According to a 2009 United Nations FAO report, abandoned and lost fishing gear accounts for about 10 percent of the trash that collects in the world’s oceans. Discarded nets cause the particular problem of "ghost fishing," whereby they trap fish and other sea animals like turtles, birds, dolphins and......read more

Sustainably-powered semi-submarine to be used for climate and ocean research

After 12 years in development, the Seaorbiter is finally becoming a reality. With construction slated to begin in October, the futuristic marine vessel, designed by French architect Jacques Rougerie, could be exploring the seas as soon as next year.
Sustainability principles thread through the entire Seaorbiter design, which is projected to cost $43 million. The vessel is designed to drift with......read more

Aether Apparel, the LA-based purveyors of tech outdoor gear, seem to have a thing for epic, inspirational landscape photos. A quick trip to their site confirms this to be the case. The finalists from the company's Summer Photo Contest, in which photographers were invited to submit photos of summer adventure for a chance to win a bunch of travel essentials, mine much of the same......read more

A marine coalition looks to reframe our relationship with international waters

The monumental task of protecting the world's oceans from ecological destruction is made doubly difficult when you consider that 64 percent of ocean water lies beyond national jurisdiction. That means that the waters that cover 45 percent of the earth's surface, and that produce between 50 and 85 percent of the oxygen we breathe, are virtually unprotected. You do the math (we......read more